Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-10-20
Plant Trees.

| Having lived in Kansas thirty-One
years as boy and man, 1 ought to
know something about that country.
I have seen settlements move westward
step by step from the Missouri river
| and cultivate with results that have
astonished the world. 1 can we'll re-
member when the country around To-
peka was far more wild and desOlate
than any portion of the western coun-
ties is to-day, with less encouragement
for those who attempted to make it an
agricultural country. There are two
things highly essential to speedy sue
cess in the cultivation of western Kan
sas. The first is to break all the sod
possible. There is no question that
trees will grow if properly set out and
attended to. Out of fifty ash and
catalpa trees set out on my claim last
spring fifty are alive. Out of the same
number planted by one of my neigh
bors fifty have died. l prepared the
ground for my trees by thoroughly
plowing and digging the holes deep
and filling the holes with mellow earth.
My neighbor simply dug shallow holes
in the sod and set out the trees. When
the hot weather of July came they
withered and died.
1t is fact acknowledged by science
that the growth of timber effects the
climate. If we had a few trees on
every quarter section of land marked
change would take place. They would
break the force of the wind; there
would be more rainfall and the ground
would not dry out so quickly. Besides
this they would adorn and beautify.
Nothing does more towards making
pleasant country than thrifty groves
with their waving boughs and cool
shade. If western Kansas was thus
adorned the sun on it's journey would
not shine on fairer country.
1 know a man who i'll the western
part of the state thirty years ago set
out forty acres to orchard, largely to
apple. Scarcely anyone then thought
IIldI IL uiG COulu NC IdloOu III hdLotlos
and his neighbors said he was crazy.
The trees all died and the next season
he set out more. They kept dying and
he kept setting out until finally he got
the whole forty acres covered with
growing trees. For the last ten years
that orchard has brought him a clear
profit of Sd, ZOO a year. 1 would to the
people of Greeley and adjoining coun-
ties say plant trees. Should they die
(which they will if proper care is not
used) replace them with others. Sue
cess will finally crown your efforts and
few years will behold a wonderful
change in the country. The mirage
will vanish and hot winds and bowling
blizzards will lose half their fury
Equally as important is the breaking
of sod. The buffalo grass roots are so
matted together that they shed water
like a ducks back, and the heaviest
rain fall only penetrates few inches.
Where the ground has ben plowed the
water soaks through and is held III the
earth. After the country is once cul-
tivated water will be obtained in most
places at half the depth where it is
reached at present.
No one has more faith in the future
of the western Kansas than your cor
respondent. / honestly believe that
the day is coming when it will be the
r Al. d. \
country has to be tanned before it will
respond to the efforts of the husband
man. We have had an abundance of
rain this season to make crops where
<1,o land ia in r.r,r,a,- rendition Other.